You wake up in the morning and your tongue feels like the kitchen scouring pad. As soon as you move, you get a terrible headache, you feel nauseous when you get up, and light and noise bother you. People talk to you and you have a hard time understanding what they say and responding. Congratulations, you have a hangover.
Our body is resistant and has a complete system to eliminate toxins. One of the most common is alcohol. When we drink alcohol, it passes from the intestine to the blood, and from there it is sent to the liver. The liver’s job is to break down alcohol into other harmless compounds. The first step is to break down the alcohol molecule with an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, but unfortunately the byproduct of this reaction is acetaldehyde, a much more toxic substance that causes serious damage to cells.
Fortunately, acetaldehyde continues to be broken down rapidly in the liver until all the alcohol has been converted into water on the one hand and carbon dioxide on the other. However, the liver has its limits, and can only break down so much alcohol before becoming saturated. If we drink a lot and too fast, the liver cannot cope, and acetaldehyde accumulates, causing damage to our body. That it’s the hangover.
Hangover Remedies That Don’t Work
A hangover is an ailment with a multitude of popular remedies, many of which are perfectly useless. Among them is consuming even more alcohol the next morning. Alcohol is mildly numbing, and may relieve hangover symptoms, but it only punishes us for a much longer hangover later on.
Another myth is drinking too much strong coffee. Although caffeine will help us be more alert, coffee can worsen dehydration and stomach irritation. A high-fat breakfast, such as eggs and bacon, does not work either. It would have worked the night before, since food causes alcohol to be absorbed more slowly, but by the next day the damage is done.
Another hangover myth is drinking a lot of strong coffee. Although caffeine will help us be more alert, coffee can worsen dehydration and stomach irritation.
In reality, hangover symptoms only improve with time, adequate hydration, rest, and a light, balanced diet. But there are some recent studies that indicate that we can improve symptoms with something as simple as exercising.
Why exercise can help with a hangover
Although with the headache and muscle aches of a hangover the last thing you want to do is move, many people are aware that sweating a little can improve their situation, and they are not wrong. A recent study with more than 1,600 students published in Addictive Behaviors was able to verify that, indeed, exercising could relieve hangover symptoms. Of the participants studied, those who exercised suffered less hangovers even if they consumed alcohol.
One of the main mechanisms through which exercise could help is by improving blood circulation. When performing any physical activity, the heart pumps blood more efficiently, which can facilitate the elimination of toxins through the liver and kidneys. In addition, moderate exercise increases the supply of oxygen to the tissues through the blood, especially the brainwhich could counteract some of the negative effects of alcohol on the nervous system.
When performing any physical activity, the heart pumps blood more efficiently, which can facilitate the elimination of toxins through the liver and kidneys
In an experiment with people who undertook a walk of almost 16 kilometers in Greece, some of them who were suffering from hangovers were compared to the rest. Physical performance while walking did not change between the two, although the hangovers felt much more tired during the test. But, although it may seem contradictory, physical activity can also help counteract the fatigue caused by a hangover. Moderate exercise activates the mitochondria, responsible for producing energy in cells. This means that we have more energy available, and over time we feel fatigue, something that has been proven in a review of controlled studies with people experiencing fatigue due to different chronic diseases.
The impact of exercise on mood is also notable. Alcohol raises the levels of neurotransmitters that make us feel good, such as serotonin and dopaminebut during a hangover its levels drop, contributing to the feeling of emotional discomfort and irritability during a hangover. This change in neurotransmitters is also related to the addictive properties of alcohol.
On the contrary, when exercising, the body releases endorphinswhich act as natural pain relievers and improve mood and reduce headaches and muscle aches. This effect is easier to experience with moderate intensity activities, such as walking or practicing yoga, which are less aggressive for a body already affected by alcohol consumption.
What type of exercise to do for a hangover
Although exercise can help with a hangover, not all types of exercise are suitable for relieving symptoms. During a hangover, the body is already subjected to a high degree of oxidative stress: The liver is metabolizing toxins, waste products must be eliminated, and tissues damaged by alcohol are regenerating.
It’s safer to opt for gentle exercises, such as walking, swimming, or stretching, which offer the benefits of movement without overloading the system.
Alcohol and a hangover produce a state of inflammation. Inflammation is necessary to defend against infection or injury, but in the case of a hangover, cytokines, the chemical messengers of inflammation, make pain and hypersensitivity worse. The good news is that exercise, especially after doing it, activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the one responsible for rest and repair) and, therefore, reduces cytokine activity and inflammation.
However, very intense or very prolonged exercise can make increase adrenaline and cortisol levelswhich trigger the stress response and increase inflammation. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to run a marathon or break a weightlifting record at the gym. The risk is that these exercises increase cortisol levels and dehydration, worsening symptoms. It may also be easier to get injured due to fatigue and lack of coordination. For this reason, it is safer to opt for gentle exercises, such as walking, swimming or stretching, which offer the benefits of movement without overloading the system.
The risk of dehydration is one of the most important, and also the easiest to avoid. Alcohol consumption dehydrates, especially high-proof liquors. Drinking water, juice or electrolyte drinks before, during and after exercise can help replace fluids lost due to alcohol consumption and sweat generated during physical activity. But just by drinking water We will not be able to alleviate the symptoms.
Despite its potential benefits, exercise is not a miracle hangover cure. The negative effects of alcohol on the body take some time to disappear. The only completely effective remedy is time, letting the body process and eliminate toxins at its own pace. However, if we can find something better by moving our body within our possibilities, it is worth trying.
*Darío Pescador is editor and director of the Quo magazine and author of the book your best self Posted by Oberon.
Source: www.eldiario.es
